Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Made Me Laugh Out Loud

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's topic is: Books that Made Me Laugh Out Loud

This topic feels a little tricky since I tend to read books that are on the darker side, but I know that there are still plenty of times when I find myself snorting at something or breaking into some chuckling or even laughing. Most of the books that are on this list are probably not the most humorous books overall and I wouldn't tell you to expect a comedy going into it (except a few, but I'll be sure to point those out!), but I've opted to include them because I recall there being more than a few moments where I found myself laughing at some banter, one-liners, or witty narrative. Some of these might also be more on the dark humor side since that's what I tend to really enjoy. All that being said, let's start the (not in any way exhaustive) list!

Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastard, #2)The House in the Cerulean SeaNottinghamSenlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1)
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch: Every single book in the Gentleman Bastard series makes me laugh a lot, but I recall Red Seas Under Red Skies having an exceptional number of moments that had me laughing. And then subsequently making me want to cry. But plenty of laughing!
House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: I don't honestly have any specific instances to cite, but I recall smiling a lot and chuckling quite a bit while reading this and how charming I found the characters and situations. 
Nottingham by Nathan Matharyk: This is definitely mainly on this list because I found the dialogue and narrative a bit tongue in cheek at times, which made me laugh. I still need to read the sequel to this one!
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft: Bancroft is one of those who has such a strong, witty narrative voice that almost everything feels like it has added meaning. I chuckled a lot reading this book, and the subsequent books were just as enjoyable (and take note--the finale comes out this year!).

Lucky JimShades of Grey (Shades of Grey, #1)Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle, #2)The Satyricon
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis: This one is actually really comedic and I highly recommend it!
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: Everything by Jasper Fforde has a quirky narrative feel to it, and this one has more than a few moments that made me laugh.
Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff: This is entirely based upon dialogue and banter, I'm not sure I'd call Godsgrave much of a comedy. ;)
The Satyricon by Petronius: Also an actual comedic novel!


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-GlassLysistrataA Tale of Witchcraft... (A Tale of Magic, #2)The Illumination of Ursula Flight
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: This isn't really a comedy, but there are some funny moments and the absurdity can be a bit humorous at times as well (or creepy, but it's all about perspective, right?)
"Lysistrata" by Aristophanes: Another one that's actually a comedy! This is a play, but it's one that is guaranteed to make you laugh at least once. 
A Tale of Witchcraft... by Chris Colfer: This one isn't really a comedy either, but it's a charming middle grade that had some great tongue in cheek moments and comedic elements. 
The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst: Our protagonist has such a charming and unique narrative voice, it made me chuckle more than a few times. This is a really delightful book that does get fairly serious, but it made me feel so good to read overall and I highly recommend it!


Have you read any of these books? What books have made you laugh?

10 comments:

  1. Great list! I remember doing Lysistrata in school and it was really funny, and The House in the Cerulean Sea made my list this week, too. Red Seas Under Red Skies and Nottingham are both on my TBR!

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    1. Lysistrata is so much fun. And your TBR sounds very promising, I hope you enjoy both of them! I love both of those, Red Seas is one of my favorites. :)

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  2. The House in the Cerulean Sea was on so many lists this week! That's awesome.

    My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-made-me-laugh-out-loud/

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    1. That makes me so happy, I'm glad it's brought joy to so many people!

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  3. I can't believe I overlooked Lynch on my list!

    https://nashvillebookworm.wordpress.com.

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  4. I like some dark humor and it's always good when a book makes me chuckle, even if it's a bit darker! I've never read Alice in wonderland but I bet it's a TRIP.

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    1. Dark humor is definitely a favorite. And that is an extremely accurate way to describe Alice, haha!

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  5. I have only read Alice and yes, love the humor in that.. snarky but totally gets me grinning like the Cheshire cat :)
    And I have House in the Cerulean Sea on my TBR.. Your list is tempting me to add the rest as well...which one should I pick first?

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  6. I rarely come across classics which are also funny, so Lysistrata and Satyricon sound awesome. And fully agreed on Lucky Jim, that's one really funny book!

    ~Top 10 Tuesday Post @Lexlingua

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